McDougald is recovering from shoulder surgery and appears unlikely to return this year, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.
McDougald was eligible to start practicing last week after spending three weeks on IR. However, the 30-year-old safety is still recovering from last month's surgery and is in danger of missing the rest of the season. The nature of McDougald's injury is still unclear. Rookie third-round pick Ashtyn Davis will start at free safety for the time being. McDougald's set to be an unrestricted free agent in March.